Miami Marlins Demote Jarred Cosart

That the Miami Marlins were going to have to make a roster move today should come as no surprise, as starting third baseman Martin Prado was due to return from the paternity list.

Clearly, the time had come to say goodbye to Jose Urena or Nick Wittgren.

Except that you’d have been way off the mark- much like the man did find himself being issued his AAA New Orleans marching orders, starting pitcher Jarred Cosart.

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Cosart has been, well a bit disappointing this year so far. Making it out of the fifth inning just once in three tries, his lack of command has put a significant strain on the club’s bullpen every fifth day. With barely fifty percent of his pitches registering as strikes, the fact that he only has one loss on the year is probably shocking to many. At least until you look at that ghastly 7.98 ERA he’s put up so far, and note that the Marlins have averaged over four pitchers in Cosart outings.

So what does this demotion mean going forward? Well for starters, it means the club still thinks this season is worth fighting for. That seems worth pointing out after the rough start the Marlins have had to 2016. If a team has written a season off to talent development, you don’t demote Cosart this quickly. And it’s entirely arguable that this IS an overreaction, as it would be much more difficult to argue that even rumored replacement Justin Nicolino has more upside than Cosart does. But rushing to get someone who can perform better onto the field, that’s encouraging to me heading into May.

Secondly, this might be better going forward for Cosart. Remember, Juan Nieves is only half of the pitching equation for the Marlins. We did snag a guru from Pittsburgh this offseason, after all. Some time down on the farm could allow Jim Benedict some more time to work out the kinks in Coast’s delivery.

Another consideration is whether or not when he does return to the MLB club, if he should do so as a starting pitcher. This idea has been teased before, and was even tried out briefly in 2015 upon his return from the DL; the righty was less than pleased with the decision. Prior to the start of the season, Cosart didn’t really mince words on how he felt about the notion that he should even have to compete for a rotation spot either. So while his eagerness to accept such a role can be questioned, so can whether or not he has a leg to stand on at this point. If he can move past some of the control issues that have plagued him his past two outings, his stuff would make him a very attractive option out of the bullpen.

Lastly, there’s the question of how this impacts the rest of the roster. As previously mentioned, Justin Nicolino looks to be the most likely answer. But that could be jumping the gun. Consider the following:

Jose Urena is still on the roster, and could easily be tapped for the assignment.
After Wednesday, the Marlins won’t need a fifth starter until May 7th.
Edwin Jackson would be eligible to return from the DL by May 4th.
Honestly, you can make the case David Phelps has been the best pitcher on the team this year.
As an aside, you have to think Chris Narveson takes that AAA assignment now that a door has been opened for a quick return.

All of that adds up to the team having plenty of leeway on this score, and being able to allow Nicolino more time to develop at New Orleans. Breaking news has it that Nicolino has indeed been called up, and is on his way to Los Angeles. But, especially if Tom Koehler can pitch seven or eight innings tonight, he probably shouldn’t be.

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